Tel Aviv [Israel], February 8: Aid missions departing from Gaza's southernmost governorate of Rafah in January increasingly had their access denied to areas north of Wadi Gaza, where coordination with the Israeli army is required, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN agency said that out of the 61 planned missions to the north, only 10 were facilitated by the Israeli authorities; two were partially facilitated; 34 were denied access; and six were postponed by aid organisations due to "internal operational constraints".
"In an emerging pattern, the access of an additional nine missions (15%) was initially facilitated, but subsequently impeded as routes designated by the Israeli military proved to be unpassable, or due to the imposition of excessive delays prior to the departure of the missions or at checkpoints en route," OCHA said.
Facilitated missions primarily involved food distribution, while the access of missions to support critical hospitals and facilities providing water, hygiene and sanitation services remained among those overwhelmingly denied, the agency said.
Meanwhile, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency said290 attacks have been made on its premises in Gaza since the beginning of the war and 389 displaced people have been killed and 1,374 injured while sheltering in UNRWA facilities.
The agency also said the number of its staff killed since Israel began its assault on Gaza has increased to 154.
"Intense fighting in/around Khan Younis (southwest of Gaza) over the last 15 days is causing loss of life and damage to civilian infrastructure, including UNRWA's largest shelter in the southern area, the Khan Younis Training Centre (KYTC)," the agency said in a report.
"This is forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee further south towards Rafah, which is severely overcrowded, with reports of Israeli Forces' strikes in Rafah on 4-5 February."
Source: Qatar Tribune
